Heart and Soul (Original Version)
by ashleyleeandra
Summary: This is the previous version of my story Heart and Soul before I decided to rewrite it. It's here for people to see why I chose to rewrite it because I thought I could make it better. :)
1. Prologue

Prologue: Hitchhiker

James Stryder walked dazedly down the dark, winding corridors of the volcanic caves he had called home for the past four years. He passed Lily in the corridors and gave her a small smile. Even after three years, she was still suffering from the loss of the man she loved. They all missed Wes, but it was worse for Lily because they'd loved each other in the worst of times and now that love was not lost...but gone.

"Hey Jamie." Her voice wasn't a monotone or distant as it had been that first year but there was always an undercurrent of sadness. It poured through in her brooding silences and rare, quiet laughter.

"Hey Lily. Working in the kitchen today?" she nodded absentmindedly and sighed softly as she walked along. Jamie sighed as well, slipping into his moody behaviour of the last few months. He felt so incredibly alone. It had only progressed over time. The more he saw his sister and Jared, Wanda and Ian and strangely enough Kyle and Sunny, the more he envied them their love and the more he wanted that love for himself. How was it fair to any of them that even souls could find love when they couldn't? He would never take away Wanda's happiness, he loved her too much to do that but if only he could have a bit of that happiness himself.

He walked silently into his empty room, missing the camaraderie of other people. Two years back both Aaron and Brandt had decided to join Nate's band of rebels and although he'd had roommates a few times over the years most of the time Jamie had slept in the big, empty room all alone and it drove him crazy. It was time to change this, something had to change or this sinking, morbid depression would only get worse. He tried to bear it for Mel and Wanda, but how could he hide that fact that being alone like this was killing him from the inside? Torturing him more than any soul ever could.

He lay down on his mattress, sighing again as his shaggy black hair fell into his chocolate eyes. He should let Mel cut it; she didn't like that it was almost the same length as hers. It didn't matter to him anymore. Nothing did. He closed his eyes and fervently wished for someone, somewhere to come to him and make his life better as he drifted off to sleep...

"I worry about him a lot." Melanie's voice was barely a whisper as she lay curled against Jared's side. His fingers ran up and down her arms, leaving trails of goosebumps wherever they touched. "He seems so...out of it. Like a shell. Like his body's here but he's somewhere far away and I don't like it. I want my Jamie back."

"I know. I miss the kid too but I think I know what's wrong with him." Jared paused, seeming to think it through and ever impatient Melanie grunted in frustration. "Ah Mel, just relax, baby."

"Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it." She demanded. Jared chuckled then sighed.

"It's not exactly something that _you _can fix, Mel. Jamie has to fix it...or rather he has to find someone who can fix it and I'm not sure if that's ever going to happen." The confusion on her face made him smile. "He's mopey and depressed because we all have someone to love us while he's all alone. It didn't matter so much three years ago because he was only just turning into a man but now he sees the love we share and thinks that maybe there's someone out there that he wants to spend the rest of his life with, even in a cave."

"Oh." Her baby, with a girl? Why did that sound so...wrong? "I never thought of that."

"No because you will always see Jamie as your baby brother and you will never think any girl in the whole invaded world will ever be good enough for him." she nodded her agreement. Who could ever be good enough for Jamie?

"You guys are going to raid soon right? Maybe that would cheer him up."

"Maybe. Who knows what we'll find?"

"Come on Ian. I've been raiding for three years already, what do you think is going to happen?" Wanda sighed at her partner as he held her in his arms, looking up into his cobalt eyes, her gray ones with their silver undertone full of reproach.

"I will always worry about your safety, Wanderer. Don't you know by now how much I love you?" she smiled at him then, her eyes becoming warm. He grinned back, placing a light kiss on her lips.

"I know how much I love you. If it's even a piece of that it's a lot." Ian shook his head at her, trying to subdue a smile.

"You really have no idea how much you mean to me, do you?" he sighed and his eyes were intense as they bored into hers. "Please take care of yourself. I already have Jared's promise that he won't let anything happen to you but he'll need help with that. Don't leave me Wanda, I couldn't take that."

"I won't leave you, Ian stop being so anxious. I'll see you when we get back, okay baby?" he nodded reluctantly and leaned down to kiss her lips, starting out slow but succumbing to the heat after a few seconds. Their languid, furious kiss was interrupted by the beeping of the sedan's horn and they pulled away from each other, both looking in the direction of the car.

Jamie sat in the passenger seat, leaning across the cup holders to pound the horn furiously, a disgusted look on his face. _'Not just disgust.' _Wanda thought, perplexed. _'Something else too, jealousy maybe? But what should Jamie have to feel jealous about?'_

"Chill Jamie. What's the rush?" Ian asked, surprised by the furious look on the boy's face and the despair he saw when Jamie turned back around, slumping into the seat when he thought no one was looking.

"I'll be back soon, okay baby?" Ian nodded and smiled at Wanda before kissing her one more time. The beeping started again for both them and Jared and Mel and all four rolled their eyes. Melanie moved to stand beside Ian and they waved as Wanda and Jared jumped into the car and sped off.

"I hope nothing goes wrong. Kyle took the jeep already, right?" Ian nodded at her, his mind still preoccupied with Jamie's strange behaviour. "She'll come back, Ian. Wanda's got more luck than an Irish leprechaun."

"I wasn't thinking about Wanda even though I'll get around to worrying myself sick about her soon enough. I was thinking about Jamie. What's up with him?" Mel sighed.

"I really wish I knew, Ian. I really wish I knew."

"Are you okay?" Jamie looked up and forced a smile onto his face at Wanda's words. He hated having to lie and pretend that everything was fine but he couldn't make her worried.

"I'm fine, big sis. Stop being so motherly." She rolled her eyes and ruffled his black hair.

"I'll see if I can get a scissors so Lucina can do something decent with this mop." Jamie grinned and shook his head.

"Don't you have some shopping to do Wanda?" she swatted his head and he laughed while she stalked off the store and started her shopping.

"Can I help you, miss?" she smiled at the tall, lanky, brown haired shopkeeper.

"No, I'm fine but thank you for asking." the man returned the smile and turned away from her toward another customer. As she walked between the aisles picking up bags of rice and peas, she felt a presence behind her. She turned and for an instant she thought she saw a black haired figure but she blinked and it was gone.

_'Get a grip, Wanderer.' _she thought, _'You're losing it.'_She quickly found everything that she could in the store and as the shopkeeper checked them she thought she saw a girl standing by a shelf. She shook her head at herself and walked out the door but she still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following her.

"Ian is probably dying of boredom without you Wanda. He must be so incredibly ecstatic that we're going to be back soon. I wager he was counting down the minutes." Jamie lived to tease Wanda. She was as much his sister as Melanie and he loved her beyond reason. He'd do almost anything for them both. And now as they made their way through the desert back to their haven he couldn't resist jabbing at her a bit but it lacked the enthusiasm he usually had.

"You are just lucky that I love you James." she said and rolled her eyes as Jared laughed. It was so much easier to be around Jared now. He wasn't prickly around her, he trusted her and since Mel was back inside her own body or rather she had her body and mind to herself, they had developed a quick friendship.

"You're just jealous because you don't have anyone at home waiting for you." he said and Jamie just shrugged. If only Jared knew exactly how true that was. They fell silent for a while but as they grew closer the conversation picked up once more.

"I bet Ian's waiting for us. He usually starts standing outside every night around the third month we're gone, waiting for us to come back. He's whipped." Wanda giggled as they pulled up to the place where the cars were hidden and sure enough there stood Ian, grinning like a fool as he clapped eyes on the love of his life who lost no time in jumping out of the jeep and into his arms and he lifted her and twirled her around, kissing her with all the passion he'd been keeping inside for three months while Jamie and Jared just laughed at them.

"Welcome home, my Wanderer." Ian whispered in her ear, his voice sending chills all over her. Suddenly bright line shone in their faces and a small black car pulled up alongside the jeep. Before anyone could even wonder where it came from the driver door was thrown open and a girl jumped out. Her hair was a long black curtain around her face. Her eyes were almond shaped and emerald green. Her straight nose led to full, sensuous lips. Her neck was long and swanlike and it veered off into delicate shoulders which were covered by a blue T-shirt aptly saying 'A Surprise Is Around Every Corner'. Her arms were crossed under full breasts and over the straps of a blue backpack. Her hips were curvy but narrow and her mile long legs, covered in black skinny jeans, were the stuff of men's dreams, her sneaker clad feet small. Jamie stood and stared, taking her in and right there he vowed that this creamy skinned beauty would be his, if it was the last thing he did.

The girl pulled out a flashlight and held it to each of her eyes, slowly moving it back and forth. An audible sigh of relief went through the four and they visibly relaxed but only a little.

"Hi Ian." a soft, melodious voice said clearly, not a trace of surprise in it. Ian's jaw dropped as he stepped closer to the girl.

"Layla? Layla is that you?" she nodded and stepped willingly into his arms, letting him hug her so tight Jamie wondered how she could breathe.

"Guess I'm not the only O'Shea who can make it in an invaded planet." she clung to him for all she was worth and Ian was holding onto her as if his life depended on it while the others just stared at them in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry to break up the reunion but who the hell is she?" Jared said gruffly but for some odd reason he backed down as soon as the girl turned her emerald gaze on him. There was something about her that spoke experience beyond her apparent age of seventeen.

"Layla these are my friends and my girlfriend Jared, Jamie and Wanda. Guys, this is Layla O'Shea. My cousin."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Your cousin?" Wanda asked. She'd gotten a bit taller and a lot stronger over the past three years but she still looked tiny compared to everyone else. The girl turned her eyes toward her and instead of the repulsion and disgust she expected, she saw only curiosity and understanding. Now that had her wondering about this girl. Ian looked between them and mistakenly thought that there was animosity between them.

"She's not evil like the rest of them Layla so you don't need to-" the glare she turned on him made him instantly snap his mouth shut.

"This is why I can't stand you sometimes. Assumptions, assumptions, assumptions. Were you feeling any animosity from me Wanderer?" Wanda smiled and shook her head before her eyes widened and she took a step back.

"How do you know my name?" she asked and then all turned to her expectantly for an answer. She shrugged.

"Maybe I'll tell you someday. Could we go please, I'm freezing, unless of course you all want me to get back in my car and let me drive away to possibly be turned into a soul?" Ian hurriedly shook his head and grabbed her hand, towing her toward the entrance of the cave. She easily kept pace with him, pulling her arm out of his grasp only to have him wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"How did you get here?" Layla turned her head toward Jamie and the instant their eyes met it was like time stopped. After a long moment Layla shrugged and turned away. Jamie couldn't even remember what he'd asked her. He could only think about her beautiful face and captivating eyes. Jared wasn't so easily distracted.

"How _did _you get here, Layla?" he asked with much more force than Jamie. Layla sighed. The only way to placate him was to tell the truth. Or most of it...

"My father was known as John 'Einstein'." she began, rolling her eyes at Jamie's appreciative gasp.

"You mean the John 'Einstein' who created the atomic bomb and things like that?" he asked excitedly. "He was your father?"

"Unfortunately." she replied and Jamie scoffed at that while Ian and Jared exchanged a loaded look. "Anyway, he invented a tracking device that looks like a bumper sticker. As long as it stays on a car, I can follow it from here to Mars."

"That was you, in the store. The one that was watching me. I thought I was insane." Wanda said, and Layla smiled at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way." she said and Wanda shrugged.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Jared asked, still suspicious. Ian opened his mouth to defend her but she shook her head.

"Look, I know it's your job to make sure all the people in that volcanic hole in the ground you're taking me to are safe and that you don't unintentionally lead a seeker to them or something but I really cannot deal with your suspicions right now. Maybe when I've eaten something and slept so I can get rid of the pounding behind my eyes I'll be able to answer your questions. Now unless you want to tie me up and put me in a store room-" Wanda's eyes widened at this comment and Layla paused to grin at her before turning her attention back to Jared. "-please just shut up."

'Sorry." Jared grumbled and a brief smile passed across Layla's face. They continued on in silence and they finally reached the entrance to the cave. Layla took one look at it and shuddered, but willfully followed Ian inside. Outside there had been little light to begin with and inside there was even less, only a bluish cast from the solar lamps. As they progressed through the caves, voices filled the silence.

"Are those the other people who live here with you?" Layla asked.

"What else would they be? Mushrooms?" Jamie asked and Jared snickered but Layla only shurgged. She seemed to do that alot.

"Wanda isn't exactly a person, is she?" the immediate rage from the three males around her made her let out a tiny giggle. " Chill with the testosterone. I didn't mean it like that. Of course she's a person, souls are usually more humane than all of us combined, but that's just it, she's a soul." the atmosphere returned to it's clam, cautious state and Layla sighed. "Why do boys have to be so macho?"

"They can't help it. It's some messed up birth defect." Wanda said and Layla shot her a friendly smile.

"Ha ha, you're both so very hilarious." Ian commented drily.

"But yet you love us." it was like she was a part of the whole group already, and in a way she was. Anyone connected with Ian would be welcomed as family. They drew nearer to the game room, where everyone was assembled and Layla held tighter to Ian's hand. They entered the game room and all conversation ceased. Layla's eyes roamed the room until they landed on a giant form, who was at that moment staring at her open mouthed.

"Layla?" Kyle's voice was uncertain and quiet, instead of the loud roar it usually was. She nodded, a tiny smile spreading across her face. "Layla!" he stood and lunged at her, gripping her and pulling her off the floor to spin her around. "Are you okay?"

"I...will be...as soon...as...you let...me...breathe." she gasped out and he let her go, laughing while everyone watched the exchange.

"Who is she?" they both turned to the tired voice. Jeb just stared back at them warily.

"She's my cousin." Kyle said and the whole room practically breathed a sigh of relief. A small girl came up to them and as Layla looked down at her, she noticed some familiarity.

"Jodi's body but not Jodi." she said and Kyle grimaced.

"I'd forgotten how observant you are." he said and she shrugged.

"Hello." the girl said in Jodi's sweet voice. "I'm Sunny. It's very nice to meet you, Layla."

"It's nice to meet you too, Sunny." the smile Layla gave her was full of genuine friendship and Sunny smiled back. She knew she would like this girl.

"When'd you get so tall Layliebug?" the look of utter disgust on her face made Kyle laugh.

"When are you going to stop calling me that, Kylie?" the same disgusted look crossed Kyle's face and in that moment anyone who'd had any doubts about whether they were cousins or not had their proof. They looked so alike it was unreal.

"All this reunion stuff is nice and all but we have supplies to unload and zzz's to catch. Could someone get Layla a mattress? We'll decide where she sleeps tomorrow." Jeb once again resumed his authoratative stance and most people hopped up, Andy and Ian offerring to help unload supplies while Wanda went and got the mattress and pillow for Layla. Soon most of the human population and the souls in the desert were asleep.

"Morning Layla." the deep voice made her groan and sit up to stare at the boy in front of her. He was sex on a stick, tall and lean with long, black hair that fell into his eyes and big chocolate eyes that looked too innocent in his sharply defined, angular, handsome face.

"Hi Jamie." she grinned and took the hand he held out to her and he pulled her up, staring down at their intwined hands before hurriedly letting go clenching his hands into fists at his sides. She looked down to hide her smile, looking across at him from her lashes.

"Umm, I'm supposed to be your chaperone for the day. Or tour guide, whatever you want to call it. The caves are really dark and you could get lost in here but someone would find you...eventually." she gave him a wide eyed stare and a playful shudder and he grinned at her. "This way is the kitchen." he started walking through the entrance to the game room and she hurriedly followed. She didn't think she'd get lost, despite what he said, but she liked being around him, which surprised her.

"What do you guys do in these caves...other than hide from Seekers and do chores...oh and harbour souls?" she smiled up at him again and he had to pause a little before he could speak again. As they walked she found it a little hard to see so she reached for his hand. The jolt of electricity she felt startled her and when she looked up at Jamie again she could see it shocked him too.

"Well my cousin, Sharon; the pink haired one, teaches here and Doc umm...well he gets the souls out of people and when we raid we make sure they get sent to another planet. The only reason anyone knows how to do this at all is because of Wanda. It's really cool that you're not...judging her." he paused again and Layla had to hide a smile again. It was easier in the darkness, where he couldn't see her that well. His nervousness made her feel better about her own. "Wanda teaches too, about the souls' history. It's interesting, sort of like science fiction but real."

"Cool. Maybe I'll get to hear them sometime. I bet you could tell me." she smiled up at him again and his heart stuttered then started beating like he'd just run a marathon. It took some effort fof him to smile back.

"Sure, if you want." she grinned and they reached the kitchen. A few people looked up as they entered but refocused on their food. Only Ian and Melanie stared at them and Layla immediately let go of his hand. She didn't mind it, his big hand around her tiny one, but Ian did and overprotective was an understatement for Ian.

"Come here Layla, I want you to sit right here and James, you can sit over there next to your sister." the way Layla rolled her eyes, Jamie was surprised he didn't see just white.

"Ian, honey, save the overprotective bull for Wanda, okay? The only reason I held Jamie's hand was because I couldn't see and you're not my father so please don't act like it." she plopped down in one of the free seats next to Sunny, who smiled happily at her. Sitting there together, they almost looked like sisters; their black hair and tan skin exactly the same. The only difference was Layla's emerald eyes. Jamie grabbed two plates of scrambled eggs and placed one in front of Layla-who smiled up at him before digging in like crazy-and sat next to her.

"Slow down baby, the food isn't going anywhere." Kyle chuckled at Layla who just stared at him.

"Down my throat and into my stomach is where it's going, Kyle. I've been living off leftovers for six years." she said before turning all her attention back to the food.

"How'd you survive that long by yourself?" Ian wondered.

"Do you not see me eating?" she said, not looking up from her food. Ian laughed and shook his head, turning his attention to his own food. When Layla was done, she sighed happily, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "That was good." Jamie chuckled and she looked over at him and smiled, looking away quickly when their eyes met. From the corner of her eye, she could see him blushing. This didn't go unnoticed by Ian, Wanda or Melanie.

"So how did you survive that long alone, Layla?" Melanie asked. Layla stared at her for a good minute before she answered.

"I wasn't always alone. I only ended up that way because a seeker killed the people I was hiding with; Sadie and Chris. Sadie was twenty five, she was a fighter, shot herself in the head when they closed in on her but Chris...he didn't have it in him. He just told me to run and that he was sorry and he just gave up and let them take him. He was only sixteen." the sad look that came into her eyes made them all depressed but almost as instantly as the sadness overtook her, Layla was happy again. "That was three years ago. Three years since I've been around people. Not just humans but people in general. It was easier for you, Melanie, because even before you had Jared, you had Jamie right?"

"How do you know that?" Melanie asked, instantly suspicious. Layla sighed.

"Are you people always going to expect someone to hurt you? What am I going to do, I'm one little girl." Melanie shrugged, still expecting an answer. "Simple common sense. Jamie's your brother, I just assumed you were with him and that you guys met Jared later. Correct me if I'm wrong."

"Oh. You're not wrong. I'm sorry." Mel said and Layla nodded, looking down at her folded hands.

"Are you done yet, Jamie?" she turned to him and he nodded, but looked puzzled. "Tour guide, remember?"

"Oh...right. Come on." he stood up and almost grabbed her hand again but caught himself before Ian could kill him. Layla sighed and glared pointedly at Ian before reaching for Jamie's hand and they walked out of the room with smiles on their faces. Ian stared after them, an angry look on his face and Wanda laughed.

"I guess all O'Sheas are stubborn, huh Ian?" Kyle grinned and Ian smiled but there was no way he was letting Jamie near his baby cousin. Not in this lifetime, anyway.

"So these are the eastern fields and this way is Doc's hospital. We can go down there, if you want or we could go back since I showed you everything else." Jamie's tour had taken about an hour and Layla thought her feet would go numb if she didn't stop walking soon but she wanted to see the hospital.

"I want to see it. You could take me and then go do your chores or whatever. I promise I won't get lost, I have a good memory." she smiled and Jamie raised a black eyebrow.

"If you think so, I guess we'll see. Come on." he led her down the passageway to the hospital and Doc looked up as they entered. Candy was there with him and she smiled when she saw the two teenagers.

"Hey. You must be Layla. I'm Doc." he extended a slim hand to her and she shook it with a smile. Her eyes eagerly roamed the room, landing on the table where she was sure they extracted the souls from bodies like Lacey and Candy. It would be an interesting thing to see, she was sure.

"It's nice to meet you. You can go Jamie. I told you I won't get lost." he stared at her for a full minute and sighed when she only stared back.

"Well if you do it will be your pride on the line not mine. Later." he grinned and walked away, waving over his shoulder as he left.

"So what do you need Layla?" Candy asked, patting the space next to her on the cot she was sitting on. Layla walked over and sat next to her.

"I've always wondered how the souls' medicine works. I've seen people go in hospitals with bruises and cuts and come out brand new, with nothing to show that they were ever hurt. I think it's interesting." Doc smiled. He enjoyed explaining the wonders of medicine to those who would listen, especially if they were truly interested.

"Did you want to be a doctor, Layla?" he asked and she hesitated, seeming to think it over.

"In a way but not for physicality. I wanted to be a psychologist. Helping people is what I want to do, no matter how I do it but helping those who've gone through so much trauma in their lives that they're on the brink of insanity was my passion. A friend of mine used to tell me that insanity was just a product of lifetimes of hurt and if you just talk to them and give them a little encouragement instead of treating them like they're crazy, that's all the cure they need." she smiled at the memory, a little sadness in her eyes. "But it wouldn't hurt to be able to help people physically too."

"Well here's how it works..."

"Hey Layla. Did you get lost?" Jamie grinned up at Layla from his seat in the kitchen. It was time for lunch and as usual, he was starving.

"No. I just spent a lot of time with Doc and Candy. They're really cool." she sat next to him again, not bothering to go for food.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jamie asked. His own plate was heaped with the good stuff they'd brought home from the raid and he had a pack of Cheetos next to the plate on the table in front of him.

"Not really. Where's Jeb?" he shrugged, not really paying attention to her; he was so focused on his food. She gave a little laugh and stood up heading out the door and going to look for Jeb. She passed Heidi and Paige in the passage to the main area and smiled at them but Paige was too focused on Andy, who was walking towards her, to see. Love seemed to be the easiest thing for people to find after the apocalypse.

She turned the corner and entered the main room where Jeb, Ian and Jared were irrigating with most everyone else. She walked up to them just in time to catch a bit of what they were saying.

"-two teenagers in a room like that. What do you think they'll do in there? A blind person could see that Jamie has the hots for her." Layla bit her lip to keep from laughing. Sure the boy was sexy and all and he did seem to like her but she was so not going to go there with him. She barely even knew him.

"So what? You have the hots for Wanda and I let you two stay in a room together." Jeb had a good point there but if she knew Ian, he'd find some way to get out of it.

"Wanda and I aren't seventeen." Jeb rolled his eyes and scratched his gray beard.

"I don't see how age has anything to do with this. You just don't want Layla and Jamie in a room together because you're an overprotective fool who won't stay the hell out of peoples' lives." now Layla did laugh and they both turned to her. Jeb was the first to recover. "What do you think about this Layla?"

"Well firstly Ian, I'm not going to do anything with Jamie, whether I'm in his room or not. I don't even know him. Now let's be sensible about this, are there any other rooms left?" Ian grudgingly shook his head and sighed. Layla grinned. "Then I guess Jamie's my new roommate. I'm sure he'll be thrilled, since he has the hots for me and all." she turned with a flip of her curly black hair and trudged toward the game room to get her things.

"This is not good." Ian said and Jeb rolled his eyes again.

"Get over it, Ian." he ordered before returning to his work while Ian stared after his cousin, not sure whether to beat her or laugh.

"Hey Layla." Jamie said as he entered his room, then stopped short and did a double take. "Umm...why are you in my room?"

"Our room." she corrected. "Hi roomie."

"Okaaay. Couldn't someone have given me some warning?" he plopped onto his mattress and sighed. It was good not to be alone anymore but it was bad because well...Layla was hot.

"Hey Jamie you want to know what Ian thinks?" he shrugged.

"Not really but you're going to tell me anyway." she giggled and he thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever heard. Cute and...sexy. How could a giggle be sexy?

"Ian seems to think you have the hots for me. I wonder where he got that idea from. I mean...we don't even know each other." Jamie froze, barely breathing, and stared at her. Ho..ly...shit. "Jamie? You okay?"

"Umm yeah. I'm fine. Hey is that a netbook?" his voice had gone from a gasping whisper to a deep rich tone of excitement and envy. Layla didn't have to look down at her arms to know she had goosebumps. Damn but the boy really was too sexy.

"Yes. I have an iPod and an iPod touch too. Don't really know why I have both but-" she shrugged and passed him the iPod. He took it greedily and hurried to scan through the music. She had some sappy love songs but it was mostly rap and rock, and those he could work with.

"You listen to some awesome stuff. Eminem and 50 cent?" she shrugged again.

"I like them." this surprised him, she could tell.

"So do I. Oh my God ACDC? You have the awesomest taste in music ever. Will you let me borrow these?" it amazed her that she'd smiled more in the past two days than she had ever smiled in her life. Was it the fact that she was around people who accepted her, or that she'd found her cousins...or was it just Jamie? That was some serious food for thought.

"Sure, you can borrow them." she shook her head as he reached for the iPhone, then felt her heart clench as she saw the picture on it. Jamie looked too and saw a tiny replica of all the O'Shea children. This photo was of an eleven year old Layla with an eight year old boy with the same curly black hair and striking cobalt eyes as Ian and Kyle. He was either another cousin or her brother. The only difference really was that Layla was the only O'Shea with emerald eyes.

"Hey is this your brother?" he asked without thinking and when she didn't answer immediately he looked up to see pure pain engulfing her features as she clutched at her chest and her breathing intensified. His eyes widened and he rubbed her back, apologizing profusely for making her sad.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, closing her eyes as tears rolled silently down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry I just- I just miss him so much. My baby." she covered her face with her hands and sobbed and Jamie pulled her into his arms, not knowing what else to do.

"I know how it feels to lose a sibling. I had to live without Mel for a year, knowing that she was taken over by a soul but if she hadn't been caught, we wouldn't have Wanda. I guess, somethings just happen so they can work out for the better. You'll see him again, I believe that, okay?" she nodded against his shoulder, pulling back as he reached up to wipe the tears off her face. As she stared up at him, pearly drops still on her long ebony lashes, he knew without a doubt that she was meant for him. He leaned forward just as she did and their lips were just about to meet when a cough made them jump apart like they'd been shocked.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"Ian's voice was quiet and cold, his anger so great that he was too calm. Layla turned her green eyes on his blue ones in open defiance.

"No, you're not, Ian. I was just leaving." Jamie stood as he said this, meeting Layla's eyes only for a moment before walking out the door. She instantly missed his presence, the need for him was there already. It scared her, the depth of her feelings for a boy she'd just met. The last time she'd felt that way about someone; they'd been taken away from her.

"Look, Layla. You are my baby cousin and I love you. I can take you sleeping in the same room as Jamie, he's a good guy, he wouldn't force you into anything. I'm going to trust you not to encourage him in anything. You are too young to have sex." the look on her face shocked him. He'd expected outrage or shock but there was a smile on her face. A sick, twisted smile and a look in her eyes that made him think..that maybe...The smile got sicker and more knowing and Ian stared at her.

"You haven't already had...sex...have you, Laylie?" she locked eyes with him and in those deep green eyes he saw a lifetime of pain and bitterness. It shook him to the core and made him wonder how much about Layla he didn't know. "Layla?" she held his stare for a few minutes longer.

"No." she said, her eyes still locked on his but even as Ian breathed a sigh of relief he hoped with all he was worth that his baby cousin hadn't lied.

"What happened to her?" Kyle asked as he watched Layla sit in a corner of the kitchen by herself, not saying a word to anyone. "Why is she so...closed off?"

"Anyone who spent six years out in the world alone after we were invaded would be closed off Kyle." Jared said practically but Kyle shook his head.

"You don't know Layla like we do. She's always been alone. It would take more than just losing people to make her like this. You remember when she was four, Ian, when we used to go to Grandma's? She'd twirl around the room and sing in her little voice and laugh that cute little laugh. And when she was eleven, the last time we saw her before all this happened, she wasn't happy but she wasn't like this either." they all turned to watch Layla sigh and put her head in her hands. Jamie stood up from his chair, grabbed a plate of food and walked over to her, placing it in front of her.

"I'm not hungry, Jamie." she said without looking up. He pulled a chair next to her and sat on it, his arms crossed, staring at her. She huffed and looked up at him. "I am not hungry, Stryder."

"Eat, O'Shea. You didn't come here so you could starve yourself. I hate to pull this card on two people but if you don't eat, I won't either." she stared at him for a few seconds then sighed and angrily shoved food in her mouth. After five forkfulls she looked over at Jamie who had a satisfied grin on his face.

"You're really pleased with yourself, aren't you?" he shrugged and chuckled and she couldn't help but laugh with him, her eyes flickering to his and away as the laughter died down. "Thanks Jamie."

"For tricking you into eating food? I've done it before." he said, squeezing her shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes locking on his again. There was something magnetic about those eyes. They drew you in, made you want to be around her. She took his hands in her and smiled.

"For that too but I meant for today, with-" the pain lacerated her again and he squeezed her hands comfortingly. "With my brother." she looked down at their hands, his thumbs rubbing circles on hers. He pulled one hand free and put it under her chin, pushing her face up gently to look into her eyes.

"You're welcome." he said and she smiled.

"Well there is definitely chemistry there." Melanie said as she watched her brother and Layla and Ian groaned. "Will you stop it, O'Shea? She's not a baby and neither is he. They might as well be grownups after all they've been through. It's not like they're going to do anything. They've only known each other a day."

"That's just it. One day and you can already see how deeply they're into each other. Imagine what it will be like after a week. They're going way too fast for people that met yesterday." Wanda put one small hand on his face and turned it towards hers.

"Age and time don't matter anymore, Ian. You would condemn what they have now, in the time when we all need love more than ever? It may be too fast for you, honey, but it's not nearly fast enough for them." she patted his cheek and he looked across at Jamie and Layla again, Layla's face more alive than he'd ever seen it. No, he wouldn't take what they felt away from them, but he wouldn't let them take it too far too fast either.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Main Objective

"Hey Jared, can I talk to you?" Jared looked up from crushing pieces of dirt with the end of his shovel to see a pensive look on Jamie's face. The boy was tall, almost as tall as Ian, but he was lean with it so he didn't look like the Hulk. "It's about..."

"Layla?" Jamie just nodded and Jared smiled. Over the past two weeks, he'd been so much more alive. He joked more, laughed more and when he looked at Jared and Melanie; the envy wasn't there anymore. There was only a knowing light in his chocolate eyes. "What's up J-man?" Jamie paced back and forth as Jared watched him with an amused smirk on his face. Jamie stopped and ran a hand through his hair before turning to Jared again.

"How do you tell a girl you like her without sounding like a complete and utter dork?" Jared cracked up, laughing so hard water started to come out his eyes. "'S not funny man. I really like her and I do not want to mess this up. I have to share a room with her. Do you _know _how awkward that would be? And besides...I can't go back to-to how I was before."

"I'm sorry kid. That's something I have no advice on. When I first met Mel I tried to kill her, then I kissed the life out of her. I'm not really an expert on romance." he grinned suddenly and walked over to Jamie, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should ask Ian." all that suggestion got him was a punch on the arm and another round of laughter.

"You're no help, Jared, no help at all." Jamie grunted in disgust and continued shovelling dirt for Jared to crush. "Be serious man, I need advice."

"Okay, okay." Jared thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Look, Layla has a netbook, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Jamie replied, utterly lost.

"So, do what any other teenage guy would do. Watch a movie on the netbook, eat dinner in your room, break it to her nice and easy. Typical first date." the smile that spread across Jamie's face made Jared feel like a kid on Christmas morning and all that other sentimental bull.

"Thanks Jared, you're the best." Jamie grinned, shovelling more dirt. Jared shook his head.

"I know. You still have to work though. You've got all the time in the world to get around to talking to Layla."

Jamie walked into the kitchen to see Layla kneading dough with earphones in her ears. If there was one thing he knew about the girl it was that she could cook. When he'd asked her why she was such an amazing cook, she'd reluctantly answered that her parents had never cooked for her, so if she'd wanted to eat that was the only way she could. Jamie had stared at her in disbelief and then sighed, realizing why she had said unfortunately when he'd asked if John 'Einstein' was her father.

"Hi Jamie." she always knew he was there and he didn't know how. She said it was just 'woman's intuition' but it was something more than that. It was like she sensed his presence and that sounded like something out of a werewolf or vampire story.

"Hi. You look hot in that apron. I wonder if it says kiss the cook." she turned to him with a playful roll of the eyes and laughed at his mock disappointment at her plain, white apron. He flirted shamelessly with her and got a few growls from Ian but it wasn't like he was doing anything bad and besides, she flirted back.

"Well look at you all hot and sweaty and sexy." she giggled at him and turned back to her dough while he sat down at the counter to watch her as she formed it into the shape of a loaf and set in on a pan with the other three loaves she had already made.

"Can we watch movies on your netbook? Like the old movies before the aliens landed and screwed up Hollywood?" she giggled again and nodded, putting the pan aside and sitting on a stool next to him. He was the only one she really talked to aside from Wanda.

"Which movie do you want to watch? I have a whole load of them saved and no they're not chick flicks. I'm more of a blood and gore kind of girl. Horrors, actions and thrillers all the way." he smiled at her and she felt like she was melting. God but the boy was sex on two legs.

"I dunno, we'll both pick it out later. Right now I have to go take a shower and stop distracting you before we have nothing to eat tomorrow morning. As you pointed out I'm hot and sweaty."

"And sexy." she added with a smile as he shook his head and jumped off the stool, waving as he headed off to the bathroom. Layla giggled to herself, something she found herself doing alot when Jamie was around. 'I can't like him.'

"Hitting on my brother, huh?" Layla shrugged and smiled across at Melanie who smiled back.

"In my defense, he hit on me first." Melanie laughed and sat next to her.

"It's really cool, what you're doing for him. Before you showed up, he was sinking into depression, I think even more than I realized. So thank you." Layla nodded and closed her eyes before returning to her kneading. "Oh Layla." she looked up and smiled.

"Don't worry Melanie, his heart's safe with me. I won't break it." Melanie nodded and walked out the room with a smile on her face. It was only after she'd walked all the way to the main area that she wondered how Layla had known what she was going to say.

"Hey baby, you need help with that?" Wanda rolled her eyes at Ian and shook her head. Ian was such a protective fool.

"Ian, sweetheart, I'm fine. Really, you don't need to treat me like glass. I'm not that fragile." Ian smiled and brushed a stray curl back from her face.

"Well baby, I love you so I'm going to protect you from everything I possibly can. Even heavy shovels." she grinned and pushed at his arm before returning to her shoveling. "I'm really worried about this whole Jamie and Layla thing."

"Ian." she cocked her head to the left to look up at him. "Not this again."

"I know I'm being ridiculous but this isn't exactly the normal twentyfirst century, okay. We don't have birth control and condoms here. What if she got pregnant or something. How could two seventeen year olds take care of a baby?"

"They wouldn't be alone they'd have the rest of us and besides, who said that they're going to have sex? You worry too much, okay? Now come make yourself useful and help me shovel." Ian obliged but couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen.

"Hey Layla. You ready?" she nodded and handed him his plate of food, picking hers up and walking with him towards the door only to get stopped by Ian. "What now, Ian?"

"Where are you two going?" he asked and Layla sighed. "We all eat in here, remember?"

"Is there a rule that says we can't eat in our room?" Jamie asked, staring right into Ian's cobalt eyes. He grudgingly shook his head and Jamie smiled. "Then my roomie and I are going to watch a movie and eat. Later Ian." Layla grinned at him and grabbed Jamie's hand as they walked towards the door but she stopped in the entrance and turned back, walking back over to her cousin.

"Don't worry, big guy. I'm way too smart to end up as a pregnant seventeen year old, okay?" she grinned and went up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek before running back over to Jamie, who slung his arm around her shoulder as they walked to their room. Ian looked after them, hoping that Layla was smart enough.

"So what do you want to watch?" Layla asked as she sat next to Jamie on her mattress. "Pick anything you want."

"How about, One Missed Call?" she nodded and put it in. She had tons of DVD's. It seemed like even at the end of the world technology was still her greatest resource. As they sat back to watch the movie and eat their food, Jamie was going over exactly how he was going to tell her he liked her. A lot. Really, really liked her. For a while, they were both caught up in the horror and excitement of dead people leaving messages on other people's phones about their deaths. Somewhere in the middle they ended up cuddled together, his right arm around her waist while her head rested on her shoulder. There was one point where the gruesomeness made her turn her head into his shoulder; it was too much for her.

"You scared?" she looked up at him and shook her head.

"Just grossed out." her eyes turned back to the movie and she winced. Jamie chuckled.

"I wish you were. Then I'd have an excuse to do this." he turned her head to his and planted his lips on hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth when she gave a little gasp of shock. As their mouths moved together her hands went around his neck and buried themselves in his uncut hair. When they finally pulled away, they were short of breath and smiling at each other.

"Wow." Layla whispered, grinning and Jamie grinned back, taking that as a good sign.

"I-I really like you, Layla." he said, unlocking her hands from his neck and holding them, staring into her eyes intently. "And I hope you like me too because...I'd really like you to be my girlfriend." she looked up at him then looked away and bit her lip seeming to gather her thoughts. "I-It's okay if you don't want to-I mean...no pressure or anything."

"Oh Jamie. I do like you, I really do but...I'm not sure I'm good enough for you." he scoffed at that and she sighed. "My life is- well I'm not the poster child for happy living okay? I'm messed up in a big way and I'm not sure if you can handle that."

"Everyone's messed up in some way, Layla. I'm not worried about what your life was like or about anything before I met you. I just know that you're here now and I want to be with you...if you'll have me." she reached up and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"So is that a yes?" he asked when they pulled away.

"Did it feel like a no to you?" she asked, grinning up at him. Her hands toyed with the ends of his hair.

"You know, I should cut this." he said and she shook her head.

"Why? I like it." he grinned and ran one hand through her silky black hair, the same colour as his.

"I guess it's staying then." Layla yawned and grinned up at him again.

"Do you want me to go back to my mattress?" he asked, hoping and praying that she would say-

"No. You can stay here, if you want." he smiled and lay down next to her, his arms around her waist and his cheek against hers. "Night, Jamie."

"Night Layla."

"Hey bug, what's got you so happy?" Kyle asked as he watched Layla shovelled dirt, humming along to the music in her ears. She was peppier today and she smiled alot. She also looked across at Jamie alot, and he was also looking at her, which could only lead Kyle and Ian to one assumption. "You didn't have sex did you?" that stopped her cold and the terrified and disgusted look on her face made him think. Why would a seventeen year old be disgusted by sex? The terror he could understand, any girl losing her virginity would be terrified at first but why disgusted?

"Hell no." she said. "What the hell is wrong with all of you? You think I'm some slutty whore that just sleeps with a guy she's known for two weeks?"

"Whoa, Layla, chill, I was just kidding." he hadn't been but she was getting offended, which made her get defensive so he was trying to placate her somehow.

"No, you weren't, you actually thought that. God, I have such amazingly awesome cousins." she shook her head and went back to shovelling dirt, taking the earphones from the iPod out of her ears, the happy mood evaporated.

"Layla, why are you getting so offended? No one would think you were a whore because of it." Ian said, trying to appease her.

"I would." she said. "And my opinion of myself matters to me way more than yours does. So stop asking me that before a blow a fricking fuse."

"Sorry." Kyle mumbled, confused. Sure he had been thinking it but he'd meant it as a joke. He didn't really believe Layla would sleep with someone two weeks after knowing them but obviously Layla thought he did.

"I think you're hurting Jamie's feelings, Layla." Jared said and Jamie shot him a cold glare.

"Shut up, man." he muttered, crushing the dirt harder, imagining it was Kyle's head. Layla suppressed a groan and as soon as lunch came around she bolted from the field and straight to her room with Jamie right behind her.

"That was so humiliating. Why do they have to do that?" she moaned, dropping onto her mattress and burying her face in a pillow. Jamie laughed and sat next to her.

"They were teasing us, Lay-Lay." she just groaned harder and Jamie lay next to her. She rolled onto her side to look into his eyes.

"Was I hurting your feelings?" she asked, already knowing the answer. He nodded. "It's not you, Jamie. I- I'm not...I just don't want to have sex. With anyone. But if I did, it would be you." he gave her a little smile and stroked her cheek.

"I know. And they were wrong to even think like that. I wouldn't pressure you into sex after two weeks. That's not...right. We have all the time in the world for that and I don't want to move too fast." it wasn't...fully a lie but she grinned knowingly anyway.

"Yes you do. It's all you think of every time you look at me. Horny bastard." he laughed and rolled his eyes. "But you'll take it slow because you know I want to and that's really sweet." she smiled up at him and he leaned down and kissed her.

"Do you know what I thought the first time I saw you?" she did but she shook her head. He wasn't ready to know that much about her...not yet. "I thought that you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life and that you were going to be mine if it killed me. Glad I got you without the ending my life part." she laughed and reached for his hand, curling their fingers together.

"Thanks Jamie. No one's ever called me beautiful before." he stared at her wide eyed. "I'm serious."

"What were they blind?" she shrugged and Jamie sighed. Some people were just too stupid to see what a gem they had right in front of them. "Come on let's go get something to eat." he stood and pulled her up with him, kissing her forehead before they walked hand in hand to the kitchen.

Melanie walked swiftly down the winding corridors of the caves, her eyes on the floor as she headed toward Doc's office. She'd known this would happen sooner or later but she'd hoped that it wouldn't. How would they deal with this? How could they handle this? What if...? She sighed and walked even faster, trying to escape what she knew was within her, knowing that she couldn't. It was there and it was going anywhere, at least not for nine months. All the signs were there but she wanted to be sure, that's why she was going to see Doc and Candy.

"Ow." the groan made her snap back to reality and she realized that she'd bumped right into someone and knocked them down. "God Mel, what's the matter."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Jamie." he shrugged and pulled himself off the floor. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mel. More than fine. Are you okay?" she nodded absentmindedly, not really paying attention until she noticed that his hair was down to his shoulders.

"Really, Jamie, come by my room later so I can cut that mop." Jamie shook his head. "Why not?" he grinned.

"My girlfriend likes it." he said, smiling a happy little smile. "You know that sounds so good, I'm gonna have to say it again. My girlfriend likes my hair." Mel rolled her eyes at him as he walked away, happy to see him out of his depression. If only she wasn't sinking into her own.

Sings the Child's Lullaby closed his cobalt eyes and sighed, running a hand through his black hair. He winced as his head pounded and sadness overwhelmed him. He'd only just been put into this fourteen year old body and already he wanted out. The boy had been elusive, escaping the clutches of the souls time and again. Now after they had finally caught him, he refused to fade away which was one massive problem for Sings.

"Have you found anything new, Sings?" Sings looked at his fellow seeker, Scorches Moving Things and wanted so badly to shake his head but he couldn't lie. It just wasn't in his genetic makeup.

"He's very fond of a girl. I don't know what their relationship is but I figure since they look alike she's his cousin or maybe his sister. Her name is Layla, that's the only thing I could get. She's seventeen now, she was eleven the last time he saw her. She could still be human, no actually she is still human. No one who had her body would not tell the rest of us. This one is special." all the while he spoke something battered against his control and his will and he felt himself slipping. He tried to push the boy back but the more he tried the stronger the boy got.

"What's so special about her?" tall, red haired and blue eyed, Scorch's innocent face was easy to trust but behind those eyes and sweet voice was a devious, cruel man. He totally embodied his host body, who had once been a child rapist. Deceitful and untrustworthy.

"It's not so easily explained. The easiest way to see what kind of power she has is to watch one of the old movies. It's called X-Men and you should pay special attention to a character called Jean Gray."

"Are you okay, Jamie?" Layla asked, as he sat on the stool next to where she was baking bread that night. He nodded absently, staring at his sister. "Jay?"

"I'm worried about Mel." he said, not even bothering to approach the subject carefully. Layla was silent and when he looked over at her she was looking away from him. "Babe?"

"She's fine, Jamie. Trust me. You'll see." she turned to him with a smile and then went back to her bread. Jamie shot a puzzled frown at her back and turned back toward Mel, who was staring off into space with a sad,excited, horrified look on her face. How she could be all three of those emotions at the same time was a mystery to him. "She's going to be fine Jamie." Layla said again, distracting him.

"I hope so. It wouldn't be fair for me to be so extremely happy and her to be sad. There has to be some cosmic rule that says that's just not right." Layla rolled her eyes and giggled before she finally took the last of the bread out of the oven. It was so much easier to bake at night, it was way too hot outside to do it in the day.

"No Jamie, there is no cosmic rule for happiness. Some people are happy, some people aren't. That's just how it is and it is never ever going to change." for the first time, Jamie looked across at Layla and realized that she wasn't happy. Even though she had him and her cousins and she was in a place where almost no one judged her, she still wasn't happy and that bugged him. He wanted her to be happy there in those caves with him.

"You're such an optimist Layla." Ian said, passing by her with a grin in a vain attempt to lighten the darkness he saw on her face.

"Eavesdropping again Ian?" she said, not looking at him, her eyes on the floor. Ian sighed. Why couldn't she be happy no matter what anyone tried? What had happened to her? He'd find out and he'd make it better for her, no matter what it took.

"With that amount of power, whoever was lucky enough to possess this host would have control over every other soul." Scorches Moving Things paced the theatre, a sinister plot forming in his thoughts. He must have this girl's body. He would be leader of the souls, the most powerful of them all. It didn't matter that he was male and being put into a female's body. He'd long since given up on finding a mate. Those things were trivial. What really mattered was power, and this child...this pitiful human girl, held a lot of it.

"Yes. That is why we must find her and destroy her. No one should be allowed to rule over everyone else. That causes conflict and souls are meant to bring peace not further war." Sings the Child's Lullaby sat watching Scorch move and he again thought that this was one soul who embodied his human host. The man who had occupied this red haired, blue eyed bodied had been a child rapist. He'd needed to assert his power over something weaker.

"Yes, you are right of course. We will lead a search for her. I shall gather my men." Sings knew when he was being lied to and he sighed. Greed would forever rule most things, human and soul alike. Unfortunately he could do nothing to stop Scorch. He was at a lower rank and therefore subjected to Scorch's rule. Which, he supposed, was just how Scorch liked it.

"As you wish. I will try to find out more information. This host is resistant, but silent. I suppose I will see you tomorrow, Scorch." with that, Sings left the theater and made his way home, his heart heavy from the burden of guilt he felt whenever he thought about Scorch's greed. Back in the theater Scorch sat in one of the plush, red velver chairs and carefully thought out his plan. There was only one objective. Finding Layla O'Shea...


	4. Chapter 3

_Hey, I'd really love it if you guys would review and give me your honest opinion. Tell me what I do wrong so I can fix it. Special shout out to s-burman. Helped me out by pointing out a lot of mistakes I made that made no sense whatsoever. So please, read, review and be honest._

Chapter 3: Trust

'Dreams,' Layla O'Shea thought, 'Are pointless and stupid, nothing more than a wish or a fear that you make a fantasy when you're asleep. They do not come true and I refuse to let myself get scared by a foolish dream.' she berated herself for even paying a second thought to the horror story her mind had dredged up. That was it. There was no more thinking and definitely not any talking about that and if Jamie decided he was going to ask her about it she was simply and plainly going to tell him to shut up and move on. Okay, maybe not like that because this was Jamie but- when did she start worrying about someone's feelings?

"What's the matter, Layla?" she set her green eyes on the little boy standing next to her and couldn't help but smile at Freedom. He was such an energetic ball of fire, she had to struggle to keep up with him.

"Nothing's the matter, baby. I was just thinking about something. Don't you want to go back to your mommy?" he nodded and waved before he bolted out the room, almost bumping into Jamie as he strolled into the kitchen. The little boy muttered his apology as he dashed out the door and Jamie rolled his eyes, smiling at Layla. Oh great, now she was back to feeling mushy inside.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" She sighed loudly. Even though she was annoyed by the nagging, she secretly enjoyed having Jamie around. When she was little she'd always had nightmares and no one had asked her if she was okay. On the contrary, they beat her for waking them up at night. So seeing the concerned look in his eyes and knowing he cared whether she was alright or not made her feel so much better about herself. But she still didn't like the hovering and that was what Jamie was doing. Every hour or so he'd come into the room and ask if she was okay and it was starting to bug her just a little.

"James, you're annoying me." she only called him that when she was angry with him but he didn't mind it as much when she said it. She made his name sound-God he was such a sap- beautiful. He walked up to her and placed his hands around her waist, pulling her towards him until her head was on his chest. She gave up and put her slender arms around his long neck. Their faces were a breath apart but Jamie didn't kiss her like she wanted him to.

"I don't care how annoying you find me. I am going to check on you because you woke up screaming bloody murder and you won't tell me what's wrong. Shutting me out is just going to make me bug you until you tell me what it was about." his voice was soft and calm when he said this and she found it hard to be angry at him. It was always hard for her to be angry at him. Everyone else except Wanda and the children was cake. She couldn't help herself from giving him a small smile and threading her fingers through his hair.

"It was nothing. I get nightmares all the time. I told you that. If you're going to get worried every time I wake up screaming then I should have my own room." his hold tightened on her and she marvelled at the strength in those arms. It was something she'd always thought about: having someone wrap their strong arms around her for comfort. And here he was, holding her. Could anyone be this perfect?

"You are not leaving me to sleep by myself in there and when you wake up screaming you are going to tell me about it so you'll feel better, okay?" she contemplated it for a minute. She wouldn't move out of their room, where in the hell would she sleep? But she wasn't sure she could tell him that the nightmares she had all stemmed from something that happened years ago. She shuddered in his arms and he pulled her closer again. "Promise me, Laylie."

"Oh, fine, I promise I'll tell you about it but when you're disgusted with my stupidity and throw me out of the room I'm still going to blame you." he smiled at her and- finally,finally, FINALLY- kissed her. Layla's heart sped up and her eyes fluttered closed. This time she was the one pulling herself closer to Jamie and he smiled before pulling away; smirking down at her when he did.

"Well, who knew kissing you would get me that response." she rolled her eyes and tried valiantly not to blush.

"With your ego you could date yourself and be perfectly happy." he shrugged and reached up to unlock her hands from his neck. He kissed her fingers before letting go of her hands and that small action started her thinking. In movies, when people did that unconsciously, didn't it mean they loved them? Of course she would know if Jamie loved her or not, lovely sixth sense and all.

"Nah, I like dating you too much." why did that make her want to fly? Damn it, the boy was a charmer and she was definitely being charmed. And that was bad.

"Get out of here, Jay. Don't you have work to do?" she stepped away from him and went back to cooking. She loved to cook. It was one of the only tasks that had been forced on her when she was little that she enjoyed. She used to stay up late watching Food Network, much to her father's chagrin. She had been allowed to watch television but only because they thought it would occupy her, which it did, for a while. But it didn't stop her from hearing her parents' arguments; hearing her mother cry every time her stupid dickhead of a father told her that it was her fault they'd had a monster; a freak...

"Layla?" her head snapped up to him and she saw the immediate horror in his eyes. What had she done? Had she given herself away? "Baby what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." she snapped, turning away from him and to the stew she was cooking. She needed to occupy herself or she was going to go mental.

"Layla, you're crying." So that was what the horror was for. He hated to see her cry and she hated to cry. Stupid, useless salt water.

"Oh. I'm sorry." she wiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand and Jamie just stared at her. She felt the shift in his mood before she noticed the fury in his eyes. "What?"

"When you get tired of playing the strong girl that can't lean on anyone, you can come find me." he turned and stomped out the kitchen and Layla sighed.

"I just can't tell you what you want me to Jamie. Not now when everything's going so well."

Melanie's shrewd brown eyes followed her brother as he kicked the football. His obvious anger caused him to miss the goal and he let out a loud, rude expletive that she'd never heard him use before. There was only one explanation for this type of behaviour.

"What did she do?" he looked across at her and the rage in his eyes sparked her curiosity. What could Layla have done that had upset Jamie so much?

"What did she do? It isn't what she did do, it's what she doesn't do. She doesn't trust me. I thought she did and I have no idea why I'm so worked up over it." neither did Mel. It was possible that he was...but no they'd only known each other for a month...but then she and Jared had only known each otherfor two weeks before she fell... "What's so hard about telling someone a bad dream? She wakes up at freaking three in the morning screaming and then she tells me to go back to sleep, it's nothing. It sure as hell wasn't nothing. Nothing doesn't make you stay up the rest of the night rocking and crying, not that she knows I know that. And she isn't going to know I know that."

"I didn't hear anyone screaming." it amazed her just how upset he was over this. He'd never wanted anyone to trust him this badly. He'd never wanted anyone to do anything this badly.

"Her face was buried in my neck, of course you didn't hear her screaming. You have no idea how weird it is to feel someone's glass breaking voice vibrating against you skin. Actually, scratch that thought, I so do not want to know what you and Jared do at night." she rolled her eyes and walked over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. As the years had passed he'd grown taller than she was and he got a kick out of her having to look up at him.

"Layla does trust you Jamie, more than anyone. She just isn't ready to tell you what's wrong yet. It must be something really bad because she's very honest about her past. All you have to do is be there for her and when she's ready, she'll tell you."

"Has there been any luck in finding the girl, Scorch?" the redhead looked up from his book and over at Sings, who was leaning on his doorpost. It was amazing how much lethal power there was in a body so lean. Sure Sings was tall for a fourteen year old at 5'9 but he was so skinny he didn't look like much of a threat. Until you came into contact with his fists. As a soul he had an aversion to fighting and only did so when necessary.

"No, we don't have any leads at the moment. I was wondering if you got any more information out of the body?" he had, but he didn't think it was relevant. He was still obligated to tell his superior though.

"All I managed to find out is that she's this host's older half sister. I don't see how that's-" he stopped at the devious light that came on in Scorch's eyes.

"Come along, Sings. I may have some use for you." Scorch placed a hand on his shoulder and lead him out of the room.

_'If my sister dies because of you.' _a voice said viciously in Sings's head. _'I will make sure you never, ever get a good nights' sleep. You will see her every time you close your eyes. You will see how that bastard we had for a father hurt her and you will know by ratting her out you have made her life and yours miserable.'_

"Ian, will you stop it? I'm fine. I can lift a bag of rice without you hovering." Wanda set the bag down on the counter and looked at Ian. He was smiling down at her.

"You're really sexy when you're angry at me, Wanda." she giggled, damn Pet's body, and blushed. He thought it was cute and kissed her cheek.

"I hear Jamie's pissed at Layla." he couldn't keep the satisfaction out of his voice. No matter how much he wanted Layla to be happy, he didn't want her to be happy with a _boy_. He wanted her to be happy with friends and family and as much normalcy as there could be in a world overrun by parasitic aliens.

"Ian." Wanda shook her head. "Why does every conversation we have always turn to Layla?"

"Our conversations do not centre around Layla." Ian replied. "I was just saying. Anyway, when next are you going on a raid?"

"In a few months at least. Do you want to come with us?" he nodded and smiled, happy that his plan was working out perfectly.

Melanie's words had calmed him down a little but now as he walked into his room and remembered Layla crying and rocking herself his anger flared up again. He knew she trusted him; she'd never be with him if she didn't trust him, but she didn't trust him enough and that bugged him. He wanted her to lean on him, to let him hold her so that he could drive the fear away and God he sounded sappy again. He was angry at them both when he walked into the room and saw her standing, backing him. Damn it, but she was beautiful.

"I don't like being told what to say." she snipped out. How did she always know someone was behind her? She turned to him with fire in her eyes, the same fire that was in his.

"I don't like not being trusted." he took one step closer to her and suddenly she was in his arms kissing the life out of him. They moved together until Layla's back was pressed against the wall and her arms braced on his shoulders. When they finally pulled away they were breathing like they'd just run a marathon.

"I do trust you, Jamie." their faces were inches apart and Layla desperately wanted to kiss him again.

"But not enough to tell me what's wrong. Layla, you woke up screaming into my neck, then you told me to go back to sleep but I saw you rocking yourself and crying. Tell me why." she didn't. She just leaned forward and joined their lips again. He knew she was trying to distract him but he didn't care. In seconds they were lying on the mattress and Jamie was on top of her, kissing her neck. And then she went rigid in his arms and he stopped and looked up at her.

"Get off, Jamie." he did, instantly, then sat up and looked down at her. He wasn't angry, like she'd expected, just concerned and God if that didn't make her heart leap.

"If I ask you a question, will you answer?" he whispered, his thumb rubbing circles on her cheek. She sighed.

"It depends on what the question is." he looked at her, shook his head and lay back down, backing her. She didn't want to hurt him and she knew that by not telling him, she was making him think she didn't trust him. She wrapped an arm around his waist and laid her cheek next to his.

"I'm only going to say this once, so don't interrupt me." she took a deep breath for confidence and began her story. "When I was five, my father brought two of his friends home. He brought me to them and had them look at me and I saw them smiling and grinning at my father. 'You've got a pretty one there' one of them said. He had red hair and blue eyes. My father said I was all his. I didn't understand what he was talking about and when he left I tried to go after him but they held me back." Jamie's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying.

"Layla..." she shook her head, the tears already welled up in her eyes.

"They...well you know what they did to me. And I dreamed that the red haired man, he was coming back for me. I dreamed he was going to..." she broke down, her tears wetting Jamie's cheeks. He turned to her and held her while she cried, rubbing her back and kissing her forehead. He felt like such an idiot. She'd just proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she trusted him and he was a fool. There was no wonder she didn't want to tell him about her dream. He was livid with himself and her father and he knew he was going to tell Ian about this.

"I'm sorry I made you tell me." he wiped her tears away and kissed her cheeks, looking into her eyes when he pulled back. He didn't like what he saw there. "Don't be sad, don't cry over them Laylie. They're not worth it."

"I know. I try so hard not to let it get to me. But he was my father, Jamie. Whether he liked it or not he was my father. How could he let them do that to me?" God if that man wasn't already dead he'd kill him himself.

"I don't know, baby. I don't know how anyone could do that to their daughter. But I would never hurt you like that, okay?" she saw the sincerity in his eyes and smiled, knowing she could trust him with her life.

"You were right, Jamie." he looked at her expectantly. "I do feel better." he leaned down and kissed her, holding her while they both fell asleep.

"WHAT?" Ian's roar had Jamie stepping back a bit. They were in the storage room, away from everyone else because Jamie knew Layla didn't want anyone to know. "He did WHAT? I am going to MURDER HIM!"

"Ian, keep your voice down. Layla'd kill me if she knew I was telling you this." he stepped back again because of the vicious, murderous look that came into Ian's eyes.

"Kill YOU? I'm going to kill HER! Twelve years, TWELVE BLOODY YEARS and she never told anyone what they did to her. I am going to kill her and then her worthless father." Jamie agreed with the sentiment but not the part about killing Layla.

"She was ashamed." it was a quiet revelation that came to him and then he started to agree with Ian. "She was ashamed of what they did to her. You know what, I agree with you. Let's both kill her."

"Is she okay, Jamie? Is she sad or anything? I mean, you're with her more than anyone else. She isn't...depressed, right?" Ian's furious tone had calmed and he now sounded worried and concerned. He was more Layla's brother than her cousin.

"She had a nightmare two nights ago. It was about the man that raped her and she had one again last night. I don't know what to do." neither did Ian. He didn't know what to say to his strong willed little cousin who'd been hurt so much by people that should have loved and protected her. He didn't know if he should comfort her or let her be. He didn't know anything at the moment and it was seriously pissing him off.

"Just...be there for her, Jamie. She obviously trusts you more than anyone else." which extremely annoyed him. She'd known Jamie for what, a month? Ian had been her blood from the day she was born and he'd looked out for her when he could. He'd never understood why his uncle Johnathan hadn't let her ask him questions and had told her to go away when she asked for a hug. Or why his aunt Leah had never paid attention to her. He just knew that she was his baby cousin and he had to protect her. She'd been such an innocent little girl, or he'd thought she was. Obviously Layla O'Shea was an award winning actress.

"I don't understand why. I mean sure I like her and I'm there for her and stuff but you were there for her for years. Why would she tell me, a guy she's known for a month about what those jackasses did to her and not you, her cousin who she's known forever? And why would she wait twelve years to...my head hurts." for the first time since Jamie had told him what had happened to Layla, Ian cracked a smile.

"You'll figure it out eventually bud."

Sometimes the thing you wanted most was the farthest thing away from you. She felt like she was going through mist, blind to everything. But she knew it was there and she knew she could get it, just a little bit more and then- there he was, standing there with a huge smile on his face. His obsidian hair curled cutely around his handsome but childish face and his sapphire eyes glowed with happiness when they met hers. She took a step toward him but he only seemed to move farther away. Everytime she took a step forward, he took a step back and when the reality set in that he was beyond her reach a feeling of despair and sorrow deeper than anything she'd ever felt before washed over her. And then the screaming started.

"Wake up Layla. Damn it, stop doing this to me." her eyes flashed open and she stopped midscream. Instead of mist and a face she'd never see anywhere except her dreams, she saw the stone walls of the room she shared with a boy that cared about her more than even he realized. Damn that stupid sixth sense of hers. It was spoiling the surprise that love was supposed to be. "Layla, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine. I just...I'm sorry I woke you up, you know screaming and stuff." she turned to him and smiled and his face set into enraged stone. Oh damn it, why was she always making him angry? Didn't he understand that talking about this stuff hurt her? Why did he always have to think that she didn't trust him? "Don't start, Jamie. I can't handle it. Don't start."

"Fine." he bit out through clenched teeth. He really needed to get past the trust issue but for some reason he didn't understand he couldn't. He _needed _her to trust him, more than he'd ever needed anything in his life. He needed her to be able to tell him anything, to lean on him, to let him be there for her the way no one else had. Why was that so important to him?

"Because you're in love with me you idiot." she mumbled into her pillow. Why was it taking so long for him to figure out? And how had they gotten to this point so quickly? After a month, whenever Jamie walked in the room or was anywhere near her, her heart skipped a beat and everyone else disappeared, leaving just the two of them. And it scared holy hell out of her.'Why is this so hard?'

"Will you tell me what it is? Later, when you feel okay?" he asked and she couldn't help the sigh that came.

"Go to sleep James." she'd tell him. No matter how stubborn she was acting right now she'd tell him, if only to make him happy. 'This isn't happening. I've known him for a month and I love him so much already.'

"I'm here, if you need me or want to talk or anything." there was no if about it. She did need him. She'd always needed him, she just hadn't known it was him. She sat up and looked down at him, taking in every detail of his face, his muscular chest, everything about him. It took every ounce of her self control not to reach out and touch him. But his physique wasn't what she loved most about him. It was his ability to be understanding and unjudgemental was what had made her fall for him in the first place.

"How did I get so lucky?" she whispered. He looked up at her quizzically and she reached down and cupped his right cheek in her hand. "You're so caring, Jamie. No one's ever cared this much about me before." he smiled and sat up, resting his hand on her left cheek.

"I'm the lucky one, Laylie." he said before leaning down and kissing her. She sighed happily and smiled into the kiss. 'Thank you God.' she thought. 'Thank you.'

"Think Sings." Scorch prompted. They sat in his office opposite each other. The air conditioning was freezing which was a welcome alternative to the summer heat. But the closeness made Sings uncomfortable.

"I'm trying, Scorch, but my stupid host won't comply." Scorch thought that Sings was a fool for not moving to another body but now he was glad that he'd stuck to this young yet resistant boy.

_I'm not stupid, just loyal. Something you souls obviously don't grasp._

It's not like I have a choice here, Tony. I have to do what Scorch says.

_You always have a choice, Sings._

Let's make a deal. Help me help Scorch and I won't bother you anymore.

_You really don't understand, do you? This isn't about you, or me. This is about Layla. She's been through so much but she never took it out on me and she was always there for me. I'm not going to betray her. Besides I don't know where she would go. Our family didn't exactly like her, but you already know that._

Well that's great. Thankyou for the wealth of information. My mind is filled to capacity.

_My mind, you body snatching freak. Mine._

Not anymore, Anthony. Not anymore.

"Jared." he looked up from shoveling dirt and smiled as he saw the love of his life standing there with a serious look on her face. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known, and nothing would ever change that view. "We need to talk."

"Sure, just give me a second." he said standing up and throwing the shovel to the ground then turning to face her.

"Jared...I'm pregnant." as he digested what she was saying a rush of emotion hit him at once. He felt the usual, expected jolts of shock and fear. Would he be a good father? But then there was the joy. The pure, unadulterated joy. He felt the beam on his face and put his arms around Melanie, lifting her and spinning her aorund before placing her back on the ground and kissing her until they were both out of breath.

"I thought you'd be mad." she said and his jaw dropped.

"Why in hell would I be mad that I'm having a baby with the woman I love?" he asked incredulously and Melanie shook her head.

"Because of the world we live in. How are we going to raise a baby in a cave? And how do we explain to our child that their Aunt Wanda and Aunt Sunny are aliens who came to earth and stole someone else's body from them?" he sighed and ran his fingers through her long hair.

"We'll find a way to make this work, Mel. Just know that right now you're making me the happiest man on our messed up world."

"You're pregnant? That's awesome! I'm so happy for you Mel!" Jamie said, almost running to squeeze his sister but then remembered that babies were fragile and gently placed his arms around her. She hugged him back and smiled. But then she saw Layla standing in a corner with a look of complete and total pain on her face and sighed. Why did the girl always have to ruin everything?

"What's the matter with your girlfriend, Jamie?" she whispered into her brother's ear. He pulled away and looked at Layla and sighed.

"It's not you, or the baby. At least I don't think so. I'll ask her about it, later." she nodded and moved on to her sister while Jamie walked over to Layla.

"You're spoiling her happiness, Laylie." she nodded and plastered on a smile. Jamie knew it was fake but he'd be damned if it didn't look convincing. She walked over to Melanie and touched her shoulder to get her to turn around.

"Congratulations, Melanie. I'm happy for you." she said and Melanie was shocked by the genuity of the smile on her face when she said this. She'd look so sad half a minute ago it was impossible to believe it was the same person. Ian, who'd watched Jamie walk over to her and then watched her walk over to Melanie, sighed. He'd had it right before. She was an award winning actress.

"Wow, thankyou." it was all Melanie could think of to say and Layla nodded and moved on to congratulate Jared. Here there was no forced smile or acting. She actually liked Jared and he liked her too. She was a tough kid and in his opinion, her parents should have been shoved into a woodchipper.

"Hey, Layla. What would you name a baby, if it were a girl?" the question had the smile crumbling off her face and tears gathering in her eyes. Kyle felt like kicking himself for asking the question. "Sorry Laylie. I didn't mean to make you cry." as soon as he pointed out a look of pure rage snapped onto her face and the tears disappeared. Then her face settled into the calm mask she'd perfected years ago.

"I'd name her Deirdre. It means beautiful and it sounds exotic. And you didn't make me cry Kylie." she smiled up at him but he'd seen the tears in her eyes and so had Jamie and Ian.

"That's a nice name. I like it. What do you think, Jared?" Mel asked. She wanted to move the conversation away from tears. This was a happy time. She was going to have a baby.

"Yeah, Deirdre sounds cool. What about a boy? Know any other good names, Layla?" she shrugged but on the inside she was breaking down. Why were they doing this to her?

"Aidan. It means little fire." the smile that lit of Melanie's face let everyone know exactly what she thought of that name.

"Can we stop with the baby names thing already?" she flashed Jamie a grateful smile and he just winked at her, which of course made her heart beat at the speed of light and made her hot all over. She made her way over to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him into a secluded corner of the game room.

"Thank you." she said, looking deeply into his eyes. He loved her eyes but they freaked him out sometimes. She smiled up at him and giggled and he couldn't help but lean down and kiss her. It would have been a sin not to.

"Hey, you two, stop necking and get back over here." Layla pulled away from Jamie and looked across at Ian, sending him a cheeky grin before planting her lips on Jamie's again.

"She's sending you a 'fuck-you' message without even saying anything. Girl is good." Kyle grinned at his brother who just shook his head. Kyle was right. Layla was good.

"She has two cousins. Ian and Kyle O'Shea. But no one has any idea where they are. As far as anyone knows, they could be souls or they could have died. I don't know anymore and neither does the host." well that was a helpful bit of news. Really, it amazed him

how little the stupid incompetent fool could get out of his resistant, barely teenage host.

"Get out of my office, Sings. Don't come back unless you have something useful." he saw anger flash in those brown eyes but the submissive bastard didn't even try to act on it. He just stood and walked out of the room, his average height body stiff with controlled rage. "I will find you, Layla O'Shea. And your powers will be mine."


	5. Chapter 4

In this chapter: we find out why Layla was so upset about Melanie's pregnancy

Chapter 4:

_Darkness was all she knew. There was no light, no sound, nothing. All around her was just...nothingness. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. She tried vainly to run, to get away from it all, but she couldn't. Slowly, she sank down, her face in her hands, as she saw the faces of those she loved pass by her. And in that last moment, before she blacked out, the last person she thought of was the one person she'd loved more than anyone else in the world. Leiana._

Layla's eyes fluttered open and she sighed. The dream had returned. It had been months since she'd had that dream but now it was back. As she looked around the room, she realized that dawn hadn't even come yet. She looked across at Jamie, his arms locked around her and smiled. God she loved him so much. She gently unlocked his hands and stood, walking out the room and through the caves in one of Jamie's T-shirts she'd stolen and shorts until she got to the exit and sat just beyond it, staring up at the sky as the sun began to rise.

As the little light spread from the east all over the sky, Layla thought about her life, the things she'd gone through from the time she'd been born. She'd never had a good life, not really and the one time that things had actually been going right for her, it had all self-destructed. Now she had Jamie and her cousins and she kept hoping and praying that nothing would ever happen to them because she could never go on if anything did.

"What are you doing out here so early?" she looked up as she heard Jeb's voice and saw the old man standing next to her. She hadn't even heard him come outside.

"Just sitting here thinking about stuff." she said and he sat beside her, his hand on his white beard. "I'm so messed up."

"We all are." he replied.

"Not like I am. No one's as messed up as I am." she stared up at the pink and orange sky as it slowly changed to blue and the big yellow ball of fire that was the sun rose over the desert.

"I like to think of the dawn as a metaphor for life. No matter how dark it gets there will always be light after it." she pondered that for a moment and then sighed.

"Maybe but day can only run so far until night catches up." he shrugged, conceding to her point.

"If we spend all our lives concentrating on the bad things and expecting the worst, what's the point of living at all?" and with those words of wisdom, Jeb stood and went back inside.

"Where were you this morning, Layla?" Jamie asked as he dropped into a chair beside her. She looked exhausted and apprehensive to him and he hated it. He wanted her to be happy."I missed you. You're supposed to be there when I wake up. That's the whole reason I'm not in that room alone anymore." she didn't answer him, her eyes on the ground and her hands clasped together on her lap. "Layla?"

"Jamie...there's something I need to tell you." she sounded so serious that he got scared. What could be so horrible that she looked so...solemn, as if she knew that whatever it was would be more than he could handle? There was nothing worse than what she'd had to endure from her parents, was there?

"Okay. Do you want to tell me here?" she immediately shook her head. There was no way she could tell him this here with everyone watching and listening. She wasn't one to hide her past but there was only so much pity and sympathy she could take. She knew her limits and at the moment her limit was one person. "Okay, come on." he took her hand and together they walked to the game room. They sat side by side on the floor and Layla took her phone out of her pocket, skimmed through the images and then handed it to him.

On the screen was a photo of a baby no more than a week old. She had curly jet black hair and beautiful green eyes. She looked almost exactly like Layla but there were subtle differences. Although their hair was the same colour it was a totally different texture, Layla's thick and flowy, the girl's thin. Or maybe that was just because she was so little. He smiled down at the picture and then looked over at Layla.

"Is this you?" she shook her head and he began to get a really bad feeling. "Who is she?"

"Her name was Leiana." she said, taking the phone back and putting it in her pocket. "She was the prettiest little thing, beautiful. I miss her."

"Layla." he took her by the shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. "Answer the question. Who was she?"

"You know." she whispered. "You know who she was."

"Say it. Tell me Layla." he was afraid of the answer. He didn't want the answer she was going to give him but he had to hear it anyway because maybe he'd be wrong. Maybe that little baby in that photo wasn't-

"My daughter. She was my daughter." he let go of her shoulders and sat back in shock. How could he not have known this? The way she acted around Freedom and Isaiah, her sadness over Melanie's pregnancy, her revulsion over even the thought of sex, they should all have told him this. How could he have been so stupid? "I'm sorry, Jamie." he could hear the tears in her voice but he couldn't look at her, he couldn't even comfort her. He just stood and walked away while she sat on the floor and sobbed.

Layla walked into the kitchen at dinner hugging herself, trying to hold herself together. Everyone stopped to look at her as she passed them and Jamie sat frozen in place, his eyes locked on her. She met his eyes for an instant as she walked by him and a stab of guilt hit his chest when he saw her red rimmed, mossy green eyes. He wanted to talk to her, to reach out to her and comfort her, but he didn't know how.

She walked over to an empty table and sat with her head in her hands. Ian looked at her, then across at Jamie and the murder in his cobalt eyes scared him. He stood and started to walk over to Jamie but Layla's head immediately snapped toward him and she shook her head.

"Leave him alone. It's not his fault." the silence in the room was palpable and she hated the fact that it was because of her.

"Did he hurt you?" a sad smile came to her face and her eyes once again filled with tears. Now both Ian and Kyle were glaring murderously at Jamie.

Will you two give it a rest? He didn't do anything." Jamie stood and walked over to kneel in front of her.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't-" she shook her head again. "Layla."

"It's not your fault, okay? I told you there were things you couldn't handle and I still let you talk me into this when I knew I'd just get hurt like I always do. Can we please all just let this go because I cannot deal with this. Humiliation has never been something I've looked forward to." she stood and walked out of the room, wiping tears from her face.

"What did you do, Stryder?" Ian asked, grabbing Jamie's shoulder and hauling him up from his knees. Melanie stood to go between them but Jared held her back.

"I didn't do anything, Ian, okay?" Ian gave him a sarcastic laugh and a cold stare.

"I knew you would hurt her but she wouldn't listen to me. No one ever does." Jamie sighed. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself, or do you just go around hurting girls who've already been through enough shit in their lives?"

"She had a baby, alright? She had a fucking baby, a daughter and she DIED! How the hell am I supposed to deal with that, Ian? How am I supposed to look at her every day and know that while my big sister is going to have her baby and be happy she has to live every day knowing that her little girl is gone?" the shocked looks on everyone's faces and the horror on Ian's just made it even harder for him to bear. "Do you think I want to hurt her like this? Huh? Do you think I want this? Goddamnit, I'm in love with her Ian but I don't know how to handle this. I just don't know how."

"Oh my God." Ian lumbered back into his seat, shocked into denial. "This can't be happening."

"It did happen Ian." every eye in the room turned to the girl standing in the doorway. Her voice was tired and she looked so sad. Her eyes set on Jamie and she held out a hand to him which he walked forward and held, wrapping their fingers together. "I wanted to tell you but you would have freaked out."

"And you don't think I'm freaking out now? How old were you? she gave a tired laugh.

"I was fourteen. I was young, I was stupid and Chris loved me. I didn't love him, not like right now, not like I love you." she paused to look up at a wide eyed Jamie. "But he made me feel wanted and so we ended up with Leiana. I've never regretted that and I'm not going to let any of you make me feel bad about it. She was the greatest thing I ever accomplished in my life and there was nothing that hurt me more than when she died. Do you know how long I had to spend with my baby? Two weeks. I only got two weeks with that beautiful baby girl before she died. None of you have any idea what my life was like. There are things about it that I will never talk about but I'm proud of my baby and Magnolia, you may think I'm a little whore but that's you're opinion and you're allowed to have one. Now if you guys don't mind I'd like to go to sleep. I've had enough humiliation for one day." and with that she turned and walked straight to her room, practically dragging Jamie with her.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Layla sat snuggled in Jamie's lap, his arms around her waist and his face buried in her hair. "For telling everyone, I mean."

"No. I'm mad at Ian though. He shouldn't have treated you like that. It was out of line." she closed her eyes, savoring his touch.

"He just doesn't want you to get hurt anymore. He doesn't want you to turn catatonic or anything. And neither do I." he kissed the back of her head and rubbed her fingers, which rested on his hands.

"Because you love me?" she sounded so deliriously happy when she said that and he smiled a full blown smile behind her head.

"Yep. I am completely in love with you. Whipped, gone. It's sad." she laughed, rubbing his hands with hers.

"I love you too, you know. In case you didn't catch that part. I've loved you for a long time but...I was waiting for you to realize you loved me too." he smiled and smoothed her hair.

"I knew I loved you but I just...didn't want to accept that, that I could just fall for someone so quickly. And Layla baby, I'm so sorry but you're seriously messed up." she laughed.

"I know, I know I'm messed up but that doesn't matter, does it? You love me anyway." he smiled behind her head.

"It's amazing, isn't it? How light and warm it makes you feel, knowing that the one person in the world you love more than anyone feels the same way about you. I finally get it. I finally understand and I'll never begrudge Mel and Wanda their happiness again." Layla turned in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, her fingers toying with his long black hair.

"You won't ever have to. I'll never break your heart." she looked up at him and he saw the promise in her eyes.

"I love you Layla O'Shea." she smiled at him and for once he saw that she was truly happy...even if it was only for that moment.

"And I love you James Stryder." he leaned his head down and kissed her and Layla thought that this was one of the rare times in her life that she could really say that she would never trade for anything.

"There is something wrong with that girl, Jebediah." Jeb rolled his eyes at his sister. When would Magnolia get over that stupid suspicion she had? "Honestly I don't know why you just let any and everyone in here."

"I'm beginning to wonder why I let _you_ in here. Don't annoy me woman or I'll kick you out of my cave." Maggie scoffed.

"You wouldn't dare Jebediah. You'll see that I'm right, brother. I always am and you know it." Jeb laughed drily, raising an eyebrow at her. "I wasn't wrong about Wanderer, Jeb. She's still going to be the death of us all."

"Maggie, go spew your bull to your daughter and leave me out of it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Layla. Go away." Maggie narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"If you would get past the revulsion you have of me long enough to listen to me and to Layla then you would realize that she's...strange. She knows things about us that no one else does, things that she seemed to know as soon as she came. I listened to Wanda and Jared talking about the night she showed up out of nowhere. She knew Wanda's full name and that Jared is sort of our protector. She even knew that the caves were volcanic." he shrugged but she had planted a seed of curiosity in his head and she knew that if she left him alone for a little while it would grow.

"Well, maybe she's psychic, maybe she has an IQ of 200, I don't know but I do know she hasn't done anything to make me kick her out and I won't unless she does something threatening. Good bye, Magnolia." she turned and walked away, a triumphant smile on her face.

An old love song played in the bar and Sings found himself swaying to the mellow voice of The King. Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley had been one of Anthony's favourites, an oldie even to him but still one of the best.

_Layla used to sing it to me the time when I was a baby. That's why I love it so much. Her voice sounds even better than Elvis._

Well maybe if you would just tell me where she is she can sing it to you again.

_Yeah, one last time before you let that evil egomaniac take her over and kill every one on the planet._

It's against a soul's nature to kill. Look, I followed her trail all the way to this stupid bar in Tucson but the trail disappears. Where could she have gone?

_I don't know, Sings. Just...please don't do this. Aren't you supposed to have a strong sense of justice? This is wrong. Don't do this to her._

Well we aren't supposed to have superiors either but look how that idea went down the drain. The more we take over human bodies the more human we become.

_Human? No human would take over someone else's body and try to force them out of their own mind._

It's the only way we can survive, Tony.

_You can survive on some other planet with some other hosts. We had lives. We had families. I had my sister and she's alive and she's not taken over and I am not going to let this happen to her. I hope you never find her._

"Hey, hey mister? Is everything okay?" Sings quickly looked up to see a short blonde waitress with a smile on her face.

"Umm, I'm sorry, I was just thinking." She pulled up a chair and sat next to him. He was used to this, females finding him attractive, even if he was only fourteen years old physically.

"What about, mister?" her smile turned coy and it amazed him how much human's intercourse had appealed to his people. He found it...disturbing.

"Well, maybe you can help me. You see I'm a Seeker." her smile immediately turned into a frown. "I'm a nice guy too ma'am, I don't hurt anyone." she nodded but she was much more cautious now. "I'm tracking a human girl, around seventeen, long black hair, green eyes. Her trail led me here, but after Tucson it just disappears. I don't know where she could have gone."

"Well neither do I, mister. It was nice talking to you." she stood and he shrugged, standing also and heading for the door. The waitress knawed at her lip, contemplating. Sings hesitated at the door for a few seconds before opening it. "Hey, wait!"

"Yes?" he asked as he turned, his hand still keeping the door open.

"Well, I did hear a story once about a soul named Wanderer. I'm sure she's just a myth." Sings raised one perfectly arched black eyebrow, suddenly grateful for the body he'd been given. At fourteen, he was 5'10 and still growing. His cobalt eyes seemed to draw women in. "I could tell you about it, if you want." Sings smiled and let go of the door.

"Sure I want to. Tell me all about it."

_What will happen next. I bet you wonder...don't ya. :D_


End file.
